The Year of Magical Thinking Discussion Questions

3. Even while describing the events leading to John's death, Didion spends time looking for the right words (i.e., "V-fibbing" page 12) and giving us snippets of poetry (page 19 and 32), notes (page 20), and research (page 21). Why might she include this information (seemingly unrelated to the story of grief she is telling?).

Joan Didion’s story the year of the magical thinking was about her grief for her husband. She included details about the period right after her husband died and also about they ways she is trying to cope with her loss. I feel she used such precious words to describe the moment because she was present at that incident. It is painful to watch the loss of your loved ones and in her case she was present at the moment. To see her husband alive and within minutes he was gone she must have been in denial or in trauma that she paid attention to such words like V-fibbing. Through the story she writes bout their history and also recalls their memory which can be that she wants to share their love and in memory of his husband. When we miss our loved we tend to think about the moment and times we spent together so therefore I believe she was doing the same with her husband in the story after his death. This can mean that she is trying to cope with her husband loss through the moment she cherished. The notes reminded of her husband and she used in form of remembering him. Every person had different ways to deal with their loss and different measures can be taken while grieving and in her case she chose to do it through the story. The research done in the story, I feel is the way to get closure for her and move on with her life.